AI and robots. Image by © Tim Sandle

Artificial intelligence continues to dominate venture capital activity in 2026. A new trend, though, is apparent as investors shift their attention beyond foundation models and toward the infrastructure powering the broader AI economy.

From semiconductors and cloud infrastructure to robotics, defence technology, and aerospace, capital is now flowing heavily into the systems required to support automation, autonomous machines, and large-scale AI deployment. This movement is captured in new a report exploring the world of private businesses valued at US$1 billion or more, known as unicorns.

The report comes from market analysts at BestBrokers, who analysed the Crunchbase Unicorn Board’s list of private start-ups with a valuation of at least US$1 billion, or the so-called ‘unicorns’. As of May 2026 there are a total of 1,757 private companies valued at $1B or more.

Data was also aggregated from PitchBook and several other sources on the largest private company funding rounds and company valuations throughout 2025 and 2026.

Data shows that 98 start-ups have reached unicorn status so far in 2026, meaning they attained a valuation exceeding $1 billion. Artificial intelligence companies account for the largest share of new entrants, with 25 AI firms representing just over one-quarter of all newly minted unicorns this year. Robotics ranks as the second-largest category with 11 companies, followed by HealthTech with 10 and Fintech with 7.

The most valuable new unicorn of 2026 is London-based AI start-up Ineffable Intelligence, which reached a valuation of $5.1 billion after securing more than $1.1 billion in funding. It is followed by U.S.-based AI firms humans&, which is priced at $4.5 billion and Ricursive Intelligence, at $4 billion. This seemingly reflects continued investor appetite for large-scale AI infrastructure and foundation model companies.

Other unicorn startups to capture substantial funding this year include U.S. defence and aerospace startup True Anomaly with $650 million raised, Varda Space Industries at $578.3 million, and robotics company Mind Robotics with $500 million in venture funding. Several AI startups, including humans&, Ricursive Intelligence, and China’s Spirit AI, have also secured substantial backing in recent months as investors continue concentrating capital into large-scale AI infrastructure and frontier model development.

• Ineffable Intelligence (United Kingdom, AI) – $5.1 billion
• humans& (United States, AI) – $4.5 billion
• Ricursive Intelligence (United States, AI) – $4 billion
• Advanced Machine Intelligence / AMI Labs (France, AI) – $3.5 billion
• Waabi (Canada, AI) – $3 billion
• Galaxea AI (China, AI) – $2.8 billion
• True Anomaly (United States, Aerospace & SpaceTech) – $2.2 billion
• Mind Robotics (United States, Robotics) – $2 billion
• Sudu Technology (China, Robotics) – $2 billion
• Rogo (United States, Fintech) – $2 billion

• SpaceX (United States, Aerospace & SpaceTech) – $1.25 trillion
• OpenAI (United States, AI) – $852 billion
• ByteDance (China, Media & Entertainment) – $600 billion
• Anthropic (United States, AI) – $380 billion
• Reliance Jio (India, Telecommunications) – $180 billion
• Stripe (United States, Fintech) – $159 billion
• Ant Group (China, Fintech) – $150 billion
• Databricks (United States, AI) – $134 billion
• Waymo (United States, Robotics) – $126 billion
• Reliance Retail (India, E-commerce) – $101 billion
• Revolut (United Kingdom, Fintech) – $75 billion
• Shein (Singapore, E-commerce) – $66 billion
• Canva (Australia, Enterprise Tech) – $42 billion
• Ripple (United States, Cryptocurrency) – $40 billion
• Checkout.com (United Kingdom, Fintech) – $12 billion

From the above lists it is apparent that investment in robotics is accelerating rapidly in 2026 as humanoid machines, industrial automation, and embodied AI systems move into the spotlight. The sector has already produced 11 new unicorns so far this year, making it the second-largest category after AI. Competition is particularly intense between the United States and China, with both countries racing to establish leadership in next-generation robotics technologies. China’s Sudu Technology and U.S.-based Mind Robotics currently stand as the sector’s most valuable newly minted unicorns, each valued at $2 billion.

HealthTech ranks third with 10 newly created unicorns in 2026, led by U.S.-based Pomelo Care at $1.7 billion, alongside companies such as Eight Sleep and Science (Therapeutic Devices), both valued at $1.5 billion. Meanwhile, Defence & SecurityTech and Aerospace & SpaceTech have each produced 6 unicorn startups this year. The defence category is led by the UK’s Roark at $1.8 billion, while the aerospace sector is topped by U.S.-based True Anomaly, currently valued at $2.2 billion.

The U.S. remains the dominant global hub for unicorn creation, accounting for 60 of the 98new unicorn companies this year. China ranks second with 11 new unicorns, many operating in robotics, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. The United Kingdom follows with 7 new unicorns, led by AI company Ineffable Intelligence at a $5.1 billion valuation and defence technology startup Roark at $1.8 billion.

The full report was based on the latest data from the business analytics platform Crunchbase as of May 2026. Additional data on VC investments, funding rounds, and company valuations was collected from Pitchbook.